ARSENIC-contaminated well water could be made safe to drink simply by
stirring it up with the right sort of rock.
Lois Ongley of the Androscoggin Valley Environmental Center in Lewiston,
Maine, reports that clays from the Zimapan district, north of Mexico City,
contain kaolinite and illite鈥攎inerals that will absorb arsenic from
contaminated water. She says 1 or 2 kilograms of rock in a 20-litre bucket of
water could do the trick in 24 hours. 鈥淭hen all you do is filter out the crushed
rock,鈥� Ongley says. 鈥淲e found blue jeans seem to do that job the best.鈥�
(Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis, vol 1, p 23)
She thinks the system could work in Bangladesh, scene of the world鈥檚 largest
arsenic contamination problem.
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